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Midorima deeply disliked fighting inside narrow, confined spaces because it severely restricted his movement and ability to maneuver freely.
Itachi clearly shared the same feeling.
Once both of them committed to a genuine, all-out confrontation, neither hesitated. After only two or three quick exchanges, Itachi suddenly dispersed into a flock of over a hundred crows that scattered and flew out of the building.
Midorima continued without a second thought.
Fighting in such a cramped environment put him at a significant disadvantage. If Kisame decided to unleash any large-scale water-style ninjutsu and flooded the entire room, even Midorima's instantaneous movement technique would be heavily impaired. Water naturally flows downward, and in that scenario, he would be swept away helplessly by the current.
Even if Kisame refrained from using water ninjutsu, Terumi Mei would likely employ similar techniques, leading to the same problematic outcome.
Therefore, escaping the building as quickly as possible was essential.
The moment the two of them burst out of the room, a deafening crash echoed from inside, followed by a massive surge of water that poured out through the windows and doorways.
Midorima had barely shifted his gaze backward when the swarm of crows reassembled in mid-air, reforming into Itachi's figure.
"Senior, this will be our first true, no-holds-barred fight. Please cherish the moment," Itachi said calmly.
"Why go this far?" Midorima asked, genuinely puzzled. "With your strength, there's no need for you to subordinate yourself to Akatsuki."
In Midorima's view, Itachi was an incredibly overly complex individual, possessing a dual nature that could be described as both godlike and demonic.
On one hand, Itachi had used his ultimate ocular technique, Kotoamatsukami, to outmaneuver Kabuto's Edo Tensei reincarnation technique. Together with Sasuke, he had subdued Kabuto and forced him to release the reanimations, giving the Allied Shinobi Forces a decisive advantage against Akatsuki in the original story.
Very few characters in the Naruto series were capable of such masterful strategic plays.
Yet Itachi also carried a darker, almost demonic side.
Shisui had died trying to prevent the Uchiha clan from being annihilated by the Hidden Leaf Village. In the end, Itachi had indeed prevented the village from destroying the clan—by personally massacring every member of his own family instead.
This kind of twisted logic was something most normal people would find nearly impossible to comprehend.
"I can never go back," Itachi replied quietly. "From the moment I killed Kimimaro and deliberately provoked the conflict between the Hidden Sound Village and the Hidden Leaf, there was no longer any path for me to return. Rather than dying a meaningless, ordinary death, it's better to accomplish something truly significant while I still can."
As he spoke, Itachi launched his attack. In almost the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of Midorima. The kunai in his hand carried overwhelming lethal intent and pressed sharply against Midorima's throat.
Itachi showed no mercy. The kunai pierced straight through Midorima's throat—only for Midorima's body to transform into a wooden puppet.
"This is…"
Itachi had not expected Midorima to use Wood Release so directly. In that brief moment of surprise, a kunai stabbed into his back, and he collapsed into a pool of blood.
Midorima frowned, reacting almost instinctively. He surged forward as the kunai from behind swept past the top of his head. Using his superior speed, he instantly repositioned himself behind Itachi and struck at his back once again.
Itachi's black cloak suddenly swelled and burst apart, transforming into another flock of crows that scattered before reassembling into Itachi's form more than ten meters away.
The brief exchange had been intense, with both sides employing lethal techniques from the very start.
It had truly been a fight where every move was aimed at killing the opponent. Had Midorima not possessed knowledge from the original manga, he would have fallen for Itachi's genjutsu the moment he thought he had killed him.
In reality, that had only been an illusion. Letting his guard down even slightly would have allowed Itachi to launch a deadly counterattack.
You truly are impressive," Itachi acknowledged.
"You're not bad yourself. But is everything you've sacrificed truly worth it? The Uchiha clan has now become genuine rogue shinobi… Is having the entire Uchiha clan branded as traitors really what you wanted? Shisui devoted his entire life to preventing this outcome, and now all his efforts have been wasted. In the future, even if any members of the Uchiha clan manage to survive, how are they supposed to face this reality? Being born as the child of traitors, constantly pointed at and whispered about—does that kind of life truly feel acceptable? And what about Sasuke? Didn't you go through all this hardship precisely so that he could live a normal life? Yet now, you've chosen the absolute worst possible outcome."
Midorima shook his head in disappointment.
"That won't happen," Itachi replied. "My father is dead, and the rumor claims he was killed by the Hokage. Therefore, the Hokage will need to prove his innocence. Otherwise, the Uchiha clan's rebellion would appear justified."
"However, the final result will not change…"
"Enough! Stop trying to persuade me. My resolve is firm. I must deliver a decisive blow to Akatsuki at their most critical moment," Itachi said, clearly unwilling to discuss the Uchiha clan any further.
"First of all, you may not even survive long enough to leave this place. Secondly, the Akatsuki you think you know may not be the real Akatsuki at all. Right now, even Pain has no idea who is truly hiding behind that 'Madara' mask. Do you honestly believe 'Madara' and Pain share the same goals? Or is Pain simply another pitiful pawn being used by 'Madara'?"
Itachi's expression finally showed a slight flicker of disturbance. He had not expected Midorima to raise such a possibility. He hesitated, wondering whether to ask for more details, when a tremendous crash suddenly echoed from nearby, as if something massive had collapsed.
Both of them immediately turned toward the source of the sound. They saw a raging torrent of water surging forward violently. In the distance, the entire conference hall collapsed in an instant.
The powerful individuals inside the hall quickly escaped the crumbling structure. Iruka clutched Naruto tightly in his arms, protected by Tsunade as they fled from the collapsing building.
Midorima immediately activated his Cellular Laboratory, allowing the cells from Jugo to absorb natural energy and fuse it with his chakra. He then used Sage Art: Levitation to float upward into the air. The floodwaters rushed past swiftly beneath his feet, while Itachi leaped nimbly onto a nearby tree to avoid being swept away.
"Itachi, can you handle him?" Obito's voice called out.
"Can you handle him?" Itachi shot back.
"If not, the two of us can deal with him together," Obito laughed. "His ninjutsu is quite troublesome. You might not be able to catch him easily."
The Raikage roared loudly, "Masked bastard! I don't know if you're truly Uchiha Madara or not, but do you really think it's wise to ignore us like this?!"
As he spoke, lightning crackled intensely across the Raikage's body. In a flash, he appeared beside Itachi and charged at Obito with blinding speed. Yet once again, his attack passed straight through Obito's body without making contact.
The second time…
The Raikage gritted his teeth in frustration and looked at Itachi with stunned disbelief. "What kind of ninjutsu is this?"
"A Mangekyo Sharingan technique" Midorima said, seeing the Raikage fall for the same trick again. He knew this was no longer the time to hold back information.
To have any chance of dealing with Obito, everyone needed to understand the nature of Kamui. Otherwise, all their efforts would be completely wasted.
"I have fought against him before. He can use this technique to evade almost any attack. It appears to be a space-time ninjutsu. Either he transfers incoming attacks into another dimension, or he can hide his entire body within that alternate space. Therefore, unless you completely exhaust his chakra, it is nearly impossible to defeat him. Am I correct, Uchiha Madara? Though I'm not sure if this was the original technique that the real Uchiha Madara possessed."
"You've managed to figure out quite a lot. Impressive. However, you still cannot win against us," Obito said with a confidant laugh.
Midorima lets out a cold snort. He glanced back at the slightly surprised Itachi and asked in a low voice, "Are you really certain that continuing to stay with Akatsuki will allow you to obtain everything you desire?"